Create a lounge inspired living room

How much do you love to entertain friends and family in your home, but you think the entertaining rooms are too small?  Don’t worry, there are plenty of interior design tricks which can help you to create the living room of your dreams.

Even if you are on a budget, these goals can be achievable, you’ll just have to think about spending the money in the right places to get the biggest impact and the correct use of the space.

One of the biggest problems in interior design is buying the correct size furniture for the room it is going to be used in.  Also, if you have a built in fireplace, sometimes these can be quite dominant in the room, especially if they are period pieces. 

One of the biggest looks in interior design is the lounge inspired seating area.  Think of long low couches which run along two walls and will seat more than a couple of people.

Even though it’s a small room you have to create a lot of impact so the choice of artwork is really important.  The thing to remember when choosing artwork is to choose off the same colour pallet.

For any room, natural light is absolutely the most important.  More the better! But either way, if you have a simple window frame, think about having a pull down blind with a graphic design to give it a bit of interest and architectural detail as well.

Another tip for adding more light to a room is, to take a look under your carpet and if you have floorboards, how about having them expertly sanded and sealed.  Having varnished floorboards, will help with reflecting light around the room.

If you have a large fireplace in the sitting room, think about adding a feature wall with a large and muted design wallpaper.  The use of the wallpaper will detract from the fireplace and is a really good trick in a small room.  It really does make the room fill much bigger and give depth and give the wall height.  A large scale mirror above the fireplace will add impact.

Being on a budget, means having to hang to some of your old furniture and recovering the upholstery.  This is a great opportunity to update your tired furniture and tie it with your new colour palette and make it sing-again!    

Because the room is small, it’s probably best not to put a coffee table in the lounge but instead use small tables which are quite flexible, which are big enough to perch some food and drinks on.

Pulling together a small space project on a small budget can at first seem quite taxing but planning the changes and if at in any doubt call the experts and they will be able to advise you on your interior design changes. 

  Art of Clean is a specialist cleaning firm in: 

Wood Floor Sanding,

Stone floor Cleaning,

Carpet Cleaning,

Rug Cleaning,

Upholstery Cleaning 

Leather Furniture Cleaning, 

CLEANING PRODUCTS

Working for domestic or commercial clients throughout Cambridgeshire, Essex, Suffolk and Hertfordshire.

For more information on our services contact our friendly team on 01223 863632 or email us at info@artofclean.co.uk

Rugs affected by flooding?

The recent floods to hit East Anglia are reportedly the worst in 20 years, according to the Mail Online.  Many people’s homes have been flooded with much damage to the homes and furnishings.  If your rugs have been contaminated with dirty flood water, immediate action will need to be taken to save your rug from colour damage, and mould and rot setting in.

See the pictures below of a rug that was flooded and came to our office yesterday

Contacting a rug cleaning specialist in important at this time as opposed to renting a rug doctor, this process needs to be completed thoroughly as flood water often carries sewage, oils and other harmful pollutants that need to be removed, and a quick drying is needed to prevent dye movement and mold.

The best way to clean a rug:

The debris and waste water that will have worked its way into the wave will need to be removed by soaking the rug in a cleaning bath, with a special solution that will safely sanitize the rug to thoroughly remove the bacteria that dirty flood water carries. Drying the rug thoroughly and quickly is important to prevent dye movement.  Many carpet cleaning companies will clean the rugs on the floor and this can lead to excessive long drying times. Longer drying times can cause browning of the fringes on the rugs or dye movement.  A damp rug is the perfect place for mold and rot to grow, a quick professional drying process is important to stop this and to ensure the rug doesn't lose its shape and form, the use of rug drying centrifuge and a specialist drying room is important.

What questions to ask a rug cleaning company before you hand them your rugs for cleaning.

• Are you insured for transporting my rugs?
• Do you have specialist training in the cleaning and treatment of rugs?
• If yes how many classes did you attend?
• Who will be cleaning my rugs?
• Do you have the necessary equipment - cleaning fine rugs is not the same as cleaning carpets!
• Do you have a dedicated rug drying room?
• Have you cleaned and restored flooded rugs before (if your rugs are flooded and requires restoration) - act fast as this will increase the chances of saving the rugs!

Here at Art of Clean we have all the equipment and expertise to clean and dry your fine rug in no time. If your rug got flooded and it might be a while before it will get cleaned - Get it in a bath of clean cold water and keep it in there until the cleaning company come and pick it up. Phone us for advice on 01223 863632 - www.artofclean.co.uk